Ifrit's lips curled into a sinister smile. To cast this spell, he had paid a steep price—sacrificing the flame magic reserves of seventeen clones to complete it.
"How cunning... Granstar, I actually fell for its trap. Looks like it's about to unleash its ultimate move," Rimuru muttered, inwardly cursing Ifrit's treacherous trickery.
Yet, Granstar remained unfazed. After all, both he and Rimuru possessed the skill [Heat Fluctuation Resistance]—a natural counter to any flame-based attack.
He was more curious than concerned, eager to see what kind of desperate tactic Ifrit would resort to.
As time passed, the massive magic circle etched across the battlefield slowly began to activate. A moment later, Ifrit's cold, echoing voice rang through the air:
"[Gigantic Flame Incineration Prison Array]!"
"What?! That name alone sounds terrifying!" Rimuru exclaimed, his face filled with shock. He could already sense the overwhelming might of the spell—an ultimate skill that could change the tide of battle.
Even Granstar furrowed his brow. He distinctly remembered there was no such move in the original story. Why wasn't this version of Ifrit following the script?
Moments later, a colossal light barrier—over a hundred meters in diameter—descended like an impenetrable fortress, engulfing everyone inside, including the Ice Giant.
Wary of what was to come, Granstar quickly cast a layer of [Ice Armor] over the Ice Giant.
A cruel glint flashed in Ifrit's eyes. Raising both hands, he began to gather vast amounts of magic.
"Rise!"
With that cold command, the temperature within the barrier surged violently, as though molten magma were erupting beneath their feet. The air grew scorching, suffocating.
"Granstar," Rimuru said, eyeing the fiery phenomenon with a puzzled expression, "Why does this skill look... familiar?"
Granstar rolled his eyes and gave Rimuru an exasperated glare. "Isn't that just the Flame Pillar you ate earlier? I thought it was some kind of devastating spell, but it's just a souped-up version."
"Eh... that's..."
Rimuru was momentarily stunned, then scratched his head with an awkward grin.
As if to confirm their suspicions, a monstrous Flame Pillar suddenly erupted skyward. It pierced the heavens like a blazing sword, blasting a gaping hole in the clouds. The sheer intensity was enough to shake the soul.
Heh...
"The power's impressive, but..." Granstar shook his head, standing unharmed in the center of the inferno, and looked calmly at Ifrit.
Even Rimuru was staring at Ifrit with narrowed eyes and clear annoyance.
The battlefield fell silent, as though time itself had frozen.
From the dumbfounded look on Ifrit's face, it was obvious—he hadn't anticipated that such a skill as [Heat Fluctuation Resistance] could even exist.
He was utterly stunned, doubt and confusion flooding his mind.
Why... Why didn't it work? That attack should've overwhelmed even a Demon Lord, so why are these two acting like it was nothing?
But Granstar paid no mind to Ifrit's shock. Instead, he turned to Rimuru with a sly smile.
"Rimuru, can you still use Predator?"
Caught off guard, Rimuru blinked. "Huh? That's sudden..." But then a mischievous light flashed in his eyes, and he answered with a grin, "Oh, I see what you're planning... Hehe, no problem. Watch my performance!"
With that, Rimuru's body began to liquefy and expand. In the blink of an eye, his form transformed, and a massive maw opened wide—so vast it seemed ready to swallow the world whole.
Alongside Rimuru's actions, a surge of powerful magic erupted from his body.
A massive vortex of magic formed around him, drawing in the surrounding flame-based energy.
Under the control of the magic circle, the fire-elemental magic streamed into Rimuru's mouth like a flood, swallowed by him without hesitation.
The enormous magic circle on the ground flickered faintly, as though it were crying out for help—signaling that the energy it held was nearing depletion.
At last, Rimuru ceased his actions. His belly bulged round and full, resembling an overinflated balloon.
A flash of green light swept across him, and he returned to his original form.
"Ugh~ urgh, Granstar... I really can't eat any more... It's a bit hard to digest,"
Rimuru groaned, letting out a deep burp.
Granstar looked at Rimuru—who had devoured the majority of the flame magic—and nodded in satisfaction.
He was certain that Rimuru's magic reserves would soon experience a significant boost. This kind of ability was nothing short of enviable.
After all, this was raw, pure magic power. And Rimuru could absorb it directly with Predator, converting the fire-elemental energy into his own stored magic.
"Hmph, I'll handle the rest," Granstar said, his gaze sweeping over the remaining fire magic. A hint of regret flickered in his eyes, but he wasted no further words.
"[Polar Domain]."
As Granstar spoke, a bone-chilling wind erupted around him.
The freezing air spread rapidly, colliding and mingling with the residual flame energy. For a brief moment, the entire space was consumed by the violent clash of fire and ice.
The area around Granstar turned an icy blue. What was once an inferno now plunged toward absolute zero.
The searing flames dwindled, overpowered by the overwhelming presence of icy magic. The aura of the Ice Giant within Granstar grew noticeably stronger under the influence of the Polar Domain.
The battlefield was blanketed in frost and snow, and even the flames engulfing Ifrit's body began to flicker weakly, on the verge of being snuffed out.
Ifrit stared at Granstar in disbelief. The blue-robed figure exuded a chilling majesty, and frost began to spread slowly across Ifrit's form.
In its blazing eyes, there was even a flicker of relief—Miss Shizu's consciousness was beginning to reawaken.
Granstar didn't stop. He drew a cold, eerie longsword—the Ice Demon Blade—and swung it in Ifrit's direction.
"[Ice Splitting Slash]!"
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